SCIPP researchers, Olivia VanBuskirk and Lauren Mullenbach, recently published an article entitled “A scoping review of equitable climate adaptation research in U.S. cities” in Environmental Research Letters. The paper analyzes and synthesizes previous research on climate adaptation plans, with an emphasis on equity and justice initiatives. Results from the review can be categorized into those pertaining to researchers and those pertaining to practitioners.
Climate adaptation plans were found to have been analyzed according to three potential frameworks, environmental justice, neoliberal urban governance, and just sustainabilities, with environmental justice being the most used framework. Current research was also found to have focused on large urban centers more so than small- to mid- sized cities. For a more comprehensive understanding of the state of climate adaptation planning, VanBuskirk and Mullenbach suggested including all three frameworks and more diverse samples in future research projects.
As many of the cities studied in the literature struggled not with the identification of issues, but with the development of meaningful, inclusive solutions, results also revealed best practices that practitioners may implement in their city or region. Implementation guideline clarification, private sector regulation, and increased inclusion of community-based organizations in planning and decision making are examples of some practices deemed beneficial for equitable climate adaptation planning.
While this research was not directly funded by SCIPP, it is adjacent to the research VanBuskirk and Mullenbach are completing under Theme 4 of SCIPP’s research initiatives.
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